Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

Last year I had a pipe dream that I’d take up food blogging again. I thought if I started from scratch, it would be fun to rebuild an online repository for my food adventures, and I could share recipes and photos as a creative outlet.

Boy, was I wrong. Food blogging is just not fun anymore. At least not for me.

You know how everyone complains that food bloggers have these long-drawn-out stories before their recipes?

Well, basically, it all comes down to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) anymore. Food and recipe posts are so long because if they aren’t, they don’t get any love from search engines, they are never seen, and the blogger then makes no money in ads or sponsorships.

The result is now overly verbose food blog posts littered with ads that you need to scroll for an eternity before finding the actual recipe you’re looking for. You always find these long posts because those are the ones that bubble to the top of google searches.

I don’t blame food bloggers for this. They are doing what they need to do to get their content noticed, and it’s working! I totally get it, but I also hate it. I don’t find it fun, and frankly, I don’t have the energy or desire to play that game.

Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

Anyway, here’s a recipe I shared on that (abandoned) food blog for my favorite summer salad dressing.

This dressing is fantastic on simple lettuce-based salads.

For a heartier salad, you can massage kale with an ounce or two of this dressing. Let it sit for a few minutes and top with some grilled chicken and dried cranberries.

Besides salad, this dressing is also fantastic with cabbage, roasted chicken, grilled chicken breast, shrimp, and even potatoes.

Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette Mason Jar Recipe Breakdown

I used a 16oz mason jar to make and store this dressing but you don’t have to. A whisk and a bowl would work just fine as well.

Why Roasted Lemons?

It takes the edge off the tartness and sweetens them!

You’ll need five lemons to roast for this recipe.

You’ll roast them until they plump and start to carmelize.

If you buy a bag of lemons and aren’t sure what to do with the extra ones, try freezing them whole. It’s one of my favorite tips.

Without further ado, because this is already long enough, here’s the recipe, adjust for your taste, of course.